Armor-plate.



N. 787,065. PATENTED APR. l1, 1905.

P. G. WHITE.

ARMOR PLATE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED APB. z5, 1902.

UNiTnn STATES Patented April 11, 1905.

PATENT GFFICE.

FRANK G. WHITE, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ARMOR-PLATE..

SPECIFICATION forming part pf Letters Patent No. 787,065, dated "April 11, 1905.

Application lled April 25, 1902. Serial No. 104,725. I

1'0 all whom 'lit 'n1/my concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK G. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Armor-Plate, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to armor-plate in general, but more particularly to a form of plate adapted to be secured to the sides of war vesse s.

Generally stated, the object of my invention is to provide an armor-plate of simple and inexpensive construction and adapted to effectively protect war vessels against projectiles.

A special object is to provide an armorplate so constructed as, to combine a minimum of weight with a maximum capacity to resist penetration.

Another object is to provide an armorplate which can be applied in the form of superimposed plates or sections of such character that the Wall of armor-plate can be of any desired thickness.

A further object is to provide a construction whereby the armor-plate will not only tend to deflect the projectiles, but will also present a smooth exterior surface capable of resisting the well-known injurious effects of scouring.

These and other advantages and further objects will, however, hereinafter more fully appear. l

. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of a ortion of armor-plate constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of the armorplate shown in Fi 1 Fig. 3 is a erspective of several of te plate-sections, i ustrating the manner in which the same are assembled together.

As thus illustrated, my improved armorplate may consist of a number of superimposed plate-sections A, B, and C, secured, as illustrated, to the sides of the ship D. The superimposed layers or plates A and B can, it will be readily understood, be made in sections adapted to be connected at their edges f tion of the foregoing character.

to form a continuous layer or sheet of armorplate. The outer or superficial layer C ofthe multi lelate armor thus provided can oonsist o a s eet of metal, substantially, as illustrated. In cross-section both of the superimposed sheets or layers A and B are preferab y bent or so formed as to present a number of ridges or angular corrugations, as shown in the drawings. The inner layer or corrugated sheet A can be secured to the side of the ship by means of bolts a, the same being preferably assed through near the apexes or corners of t e angular corrugations which rest or impinge upon thesides of the ship. The next layer or sheet of corrugated metal B is preferably provided with ridges or beads b, each one being preferably arranged adjacent to the edge or apex of one of the angular corrugations. In this way the back of the layer of metal sheet Bis provided with a' number of grooves or seats adapted t0 receive the outwardly projecting angles or edges of the layer or sheet of metal A. When fitted together, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the edges or apexes of one plate are slightly to one side of the opposite edges or apexes of the next outer layer of corrugated sheet metal. The flat outer layer or sheetC can be secured to the corrugated sheet B by means of bolts b. In a similar manner boits t2 can be employed for binding the two multiple angle or corrugated layers A and B together. Some non-inflammable substance-as, for example, corn-pith D- can be packed into the recesses be'tween the corrugated sheets or layers of metal. The angle-plates or corrugated sections can, it will be seen, be made from one pattern and can all have their backs provided with the seats or grooves adapted to receive the edges of another layer of corrugated sheet'metal. In this way the armor-plate as a whole can be of any desired thickness, the thickness being varied by applying a greater or smaller number of the corrugated layers. v

There are several advantages in a construc- For example, should a projectile 1 strike as shown in Fig. 1 it will of course be deflected to one channels.

penetrating the first corrugated layer it then strikes the side of one of the angles or corrugations of the next layer or sheet of metal. This, it 'will be seen, is dueto the fact, as previously explained, that the edges or angles of the inner and outer plates are not brought in line, but, tothe contrary, are ar ranged slightly out of line, so as to have what `might be termed a staggered arran ement. Now in the case of projectile 1,.it o rcourse easily penetrates theflat outer layer C; but upon comingk in contact with the angular surface of the sheet or layer B it is then imr mediately deflected to one side. During this deflection it will be seen that the ilat outer layer C exerts a retardingeilect, inasmuch as the twisting or turning of the projectile causes it to bind in the hole it has made in the said flat outer layer. The corn-pith or other noninflammable material also has several advantages. For example, it tends to displace water from between the plates. Again, it willfclose holes made by the projectiles and will also tend to reduce impact. In other words, it will be seen that my improved armor-plateis not only characterized by a multiple-plate construction, but also by an impact-reducing and successive deective action. Thus it not only can be of minimum weight, but also practically of the maximum capacity to resist penetration. Furthermore, although it is so constructed as to insure a deflecting action, so as to minimize the liability of penetration, it at the same time presents a smooth exterior surface which 'Y cannot be torn up or damaged by the wellknown scouring action of a bursting shell.

This scouring action on the side of a vessel has made it undesirable to employ armorplate presenting a rough outer surface. A shell bursting on a roughexterior surface sweeps everything clean and tends to tear off any corrugations or dellecting-surfaces with which the armor may be exteriorly provided. With niy improved arrangement, however, the bursting shell is received by a flat outer surface, which is not in any way damaged by the scouring action, and at the same time the constructlon is such that the principle of deflection in armor-plate is taken advantage of to the fullest extent.

By employing a plurality of superimposed yielding layers, such as the corrugated metal sheets A and B, it will be seen that I obtain what may be termed a multiplied reduction provide a plu-l ,ralit of superimposed yielding layers which of impact. In other words,

successively to the impact of the proyiel j ectile.

This is for the reason thatafter lreach the latter at an oblique angle.

well known that the deflecting cfa projectile` If desired, other materials can be mixed with the corn-pith or other non-inflammable material and packed into the recesses in the ranged to extend through the grooves or f seats provided by the beads or ridges b. With this arrangementthe bolt or rivet holes are less liable to cause a weakining of the plates when fastened together. With my improved construction a projectile cannot possibly enter the ship atan angle of more than forty-five degrees, which is harmless. This, it will be seen, is due to the fact that althou h a projectile may pass directly kand squarely through the first and second layers it will then be deflected toone side by the next layer. In other words, the arrangement is such thata projectile cannot possiblypenetrate thearmorwithout encountering one or more deilectingesurfaces. In this way, as

stated, the rprojectile must turn to one side before it can reach the ship and can only to one side, so as to cause it to advance sidewise through the armor-plate rather than in an endwise direction, greatly reduces the liability of its doing any greatdamage and of its penetratingentirely through.

What I claim as my invention is l. A multiple-plate armor` comprising a plurality of superimposed sheets of corrubeing arran ed out of line with respect to the angles or ri ges of the next inner plate, Vand a flat outer layer of sheet metal.

2. A multiple-plate armor comprising a plurality of superim osed corrugated layers of sheet metal boun together by bolts, the back of one plate being provided With grooves or seats adapted to receive the angles or corners of the next inner plate, and a llat outer layer of sheet metal.

3. A multiple armor-plate comprising a plurality of superimposed layers of corrugated sheet metal arranged so that the 'corners or an les of one sheet are out of line relatively to t e corners or angles of the next inner sheet.

4. An armorlate com rising a plurality of su erimpose layers o corrugated sheet meta and a suitable non-inflammable material packed into the recesses formed be It isk gated metal, the edges or angles of one plate f IOO IIS

IZO

the corrugated plates at points slightly to said layers of sheet metal together, said bolts 1o one side of the edges or angles of the corruextending through the superimposed sheets gations. at points where the angles of the inner sheet 7. An armor-plate com osed of superimengage the said grooves or seats on the back 5 posed layers of eorrugate sheet metal, the of the next outer sheet. l back of each layer being provided with FRANK G. WHITE. grooves or seats adapted to receive the an- Witnesses: j gles or. edges of the adjacent sheet of eorru- CHARLES J. TRAINOR, gated metal and bolts or rivets for binding VIoToR` R. OSHEA. 

